Category: Child’s Education

Once your child goes beyond a year old, she will be exploring so many things in her surroundings. It is the time when she would try to sneak into your kitchen and open the cupboards herself. It is the dangerous period when she would climb up the staircases and leave you breathless.

So how can you keep your baby busy on safer and more meaningful things? What are the best activities that you could give her during this stage?

To help you get through this time successfully, I have listed five of the best ways to make your 18-24 month old baby happy and busy:

1. Ignite interest with picture books.

Picture books are a real gift to the learning journey of our children. Most of the picture books that you will find in the bookstores and markets are of various themes and ideas. You can pick a book about shapes where different items that resemble certain shapes are shown so that your child can be familiar with them.

The toddler stage is the perfect time for your kids to embrace the fun in learning. It is ideal to introduce her to new words and concepts through the use of picture books.

2. Develop curiosity with wooden toys.

The use of wooden toys is promoted by the Montessori education. Contrary to plastics, wooden toys are safe for your kids. Just make sure that the wood has been painted with non-toxic materials.

There are different kinds of wooden toys out there. The best wooden toys for children below two years old are those that can introduce geometric concepts and patterns. It is also nice to give her a wooden xylophone because music can intensify the cognitive development of children.

3. Stimulate creativity with art.

You might be surprised that your toddler can already create wonderful art even at her young age! Just allow her to hold a non-toxic and washable crayon with a piece of paper. See what she can randomly create! Do not forget to capture her creations through a photograph. There are also jewelry makers who can transform your toddler’s first doodles into a pendant for you to keep forever.

Other art ideas include tracing her hands using colorful and washable markers on a piece of paper, painting her toy box, making a DIY paint using a yogurt, or putting some stickers on a surface. Remember to be forgiving during this stage. There is no point in being so strict about cleanliness. Let her be messy to explore all areas of creativity.

4. Promote fine motor skills with play.

You should not wait until her preschool years before you even attempt to consider the development of your child’ fine motor skills. You can check out the internet for some cool ideas about fine motor activities. One sample activity is the insert pipe game. Just get a used cardboard box, empty its contents, and create even round holes on the box. Then cut small pipe cleaners which your child could insert into the holes.

There is no need to spend so much on the toys of your baby. You can make do of whatever there is at your home. Be resourceful enough and enjoy the process.

5. Explore sensory capabilities with experiments.

Aren’t experiments fun? You don’t need to be a scientist just to let your child feel awesome about them! One experiment that you can do is the bubble fun experiment. Just get an empty bottle, fill it with water, pour some shampoo into it, add some food dye, and shake. Prepare three different colors to make things a lot more exciting. Your child will surely be amazed by the resulting bubbles!

Another experiment that you can do is the simple pancake experiment. Create a pancake and add interesting toppings like mallows, nuts, syrup, and more. Let her get one topping at each time and ask her what she feels. Explain the idea of color, texture, taste, and flavor.

Enjoy every step of your journey to parenting. The toddler stage can be exhausting but it can also be extremely fun and meaningful for as long as you delight in little joys.

It’s irritating, it’s frustrating and it gets on your last nerve. Though it’s obnoxious and unacceptable, it’s actually effective for your child to get your attention. It’s whining. But, like other bad habits, you can nip it in the bud early with a few simple strategies to teach your child there are other appropriate, effective forms of communicating with you.

First, try limiting the situations that trigger it. Avoid extra errands when the kids are hungry. Don’t let them get involved in a frustrating game or project prior to bedtime. Pay attention when your child is talking, as sometimes whining is a reaction when a child feels you aren’t giving them your full attention. Praise them for not whining and talking in a normal and understandable voice that allows you to fully understand what they are saying to you.

When the whining begins, don’t overreact. Keep your response simple, calm and neutral. Ask your child to repeat the request in a normal tone. When giving in seems inevitable, don’t delay. If you must finish the grocery shopping so you can put dinner on the table, for instance, and your child starts whining for a snack, offer something healthy right away.

Once a limit has been set, parents should follow through. It’s imperative that both parents are on board with this limit and fully follow through when the whining rule has been violated.

If you have an older child that’s developing a whining habit, suggest they come up with a solution to their perceived boredom or other voiced problem. If you suggest possible alternatives, it might just prolong the child’s whining.

Sometimes whining can be the result of trauma and trouble in their life. A divorce, serious family illness or problems at school may be at the root. Additional positive attention and quality one-on-one time may be just the medicine your child needs at a time like this. Your pediatrician can also suggest alternatives to curb whining should the positive attention and disciplinary actions be ineffective.

For more than two years, your child could have been solely under your care. She may be used to just staying at home either alone with her toys or playing with her siblings. But you must know that she cannot stay at home forever. She has to explore the world and start learning about broader possibilities. So how do you prepare your child for preschool?

Here are some of the most effective tips to let your child become physically, emotionally, and mentally ready for preschool:

1. Talk to your child about the need for preschool

Communication is the key to healthy relationships. Even when your child seems to be so young for serious talks, you should still make an effort to explain to her that going to preschool is necessary. Give her ideas about how exciting preschool could be. Describe to her the fun of meeting new friends, singing nursery rhymes, and playing outside.

2. Use the preschool concept during pretend play

You surely know how children love pretend play activities. If you are running out of new ideas for your pretend play at home, then it is now the time to consider having a preschool pretend play concept. You could first act out as the teacher and your child as a student. The roles could interchange every day depending on your goals.

Set up a preschool corner at home that is equipped with a study table, chair, puzzle mat, coloring materials, and more. Make sure that your pretend play will have a similar schedule to the preschool format. There must be a designated time for singing, circle time, story-telling, snack time, and free play.

3. Read books about school

When you go to the bookstore, you can choose the books that are about school or where the story’s setting is in the school. This can stimulate the interest in school in your child’s mind. It is also a creative way of giving her a subconscious idea about how children should behave in school.

4. Visit the preschool.

Anything that is strange can stress out a child. You do not want your child to feel worried because of a new environment. It would be wonderful if you can frequently bring your little one to the preschool a few weeks before the actual start of the school year. Talk to the management if you can let her play for a few minutes at the yard or if you could just spend some time roaming around.

5. Schedule playdates with other children.

If your kid isn’t used to spending time with other children, then you have to introduce the idea of a social group to her. You could speak with other moms in your circle of friends or in your neighborhood to have a series of playdates among children. Carefully plan out the activities for your playdate so that every moment during the session can be a meaningful opportunity for learning and growth.

6. Meet the teacher.

The teachers of your child will be her second parents while in school. Your little one must feel comfortable with her teachers and even with the other personnel of the school. Schedule a meeting with the teacher where she can speak with you and your child. During the meeting, you must be able to relay all the necessary information about your child such as her behavioral nuances and medical condition.

Going to preschool is another milestone for your child. Be sure to make the process as fun as possible. Use all your creativity and exercise your patience during this transition.

One of the most important things you can teach your child is respect and the best way to teach respect is to show respect. When a child experiences respect, they know what it feels like and begin to understand how important it is.

Keep in mind the saying “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Respect is an attitude. Being respectful helps a child succeed in life. If children don’t have respect for peers, authority, or themselves, it’s almost impossible for them to succeed. A respectful child takes care of belongings and responsibilities, and a respectful child gets along with peers.

Schools teach children about respect, but parents have the most influence on how respectful children become. Until children show respect at home, it’s unlikely they will show it anywhere else.

How can you show respect to your child? If you do something wrong, admit it and apologize. Don’t embarrass, insult or make fun of your child. Compliment them and let your child make choices and take responsibility. Listen to your child’s side of the story before making a decision on an issue or problem. Be polite and use “please” and “thank you” when asking them to do things. Knock before entering your child’s room. Keep promises. Show your child that you mean what you say. And give your child your full attention.

And most important, teach your children that respect is earned. Make sure that you are leading by example and modeling respectful behavior. Be a law-abiding citizen. Show concern for your environment, animals and other people. Openly and honestly discuss exampled of witnessed disrespect.

In addition, teach your child to respect themselves. Self-respect is one of the most important forms of respect. Once we respect ourselves, it is easier to respect others.

Help them set and achieve goals. Encourage honesty and teach them that people make mistakes, and that they are the best way to learn.

Most importantly, praise your child often for good deeds, behaviors or traits, and tell them you love them at least several times each day. You’re sure to raise a child capable of giving and gaining respect.

Praising a child correctly is important to the development of positive behaviors. It’s a great way to encourage constructive future behavior.

When you give praise you are giving your child a feeling of positive feedback, which increases their sense of confidence, self esteem and abilities.

When you praise your child, you are pointing out the way they’ve acted, an action they’ve taken, or simply who they are. When your child looks good, tell him so. When your child does anything that pleases you, let him know. You should also praise a child’s effort to do well, even if it doesn’t come out so good in the end. You should find something each day about your child to praise.

Be on the lookout constantly for behaviors or actions deserving of praise, but don’t be over the top about it. Be sincere and honest in your praise.

Wait for unexpected or previously unnoticed good behavior and praise your child for it. And when you see such action or behaviors, praise immediately so the child will know exactly what behavior or action was deemed praiseworthy.

It’s also very important to look your child square in the eye when you praise him, and reinforce the positive behavior, action or trait being praised with a gesture such as a warm smile, a hug, scruff of the hair, or caress his face while you tell him.

Be exact, and state precisely what action, behavior or trait you find praiseworthy. And most importantly, never directly follow praise with criticism or negative comments. Let your child know what they did right and reward them for it before you let them know what they did wrong and punish for misbehaving or a misdeed.

So be sure to admire and congratulate your child and celebrate the good person they are growing into by praising their positive actions, behaviors and traits daily. You’ll be building a strong sense of self in your child and you’ll grow closer as a result.